


Night Sky

by fcllencngels



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bars, Galaxy Garrison, M/M, Matt is done with Sheith, Mutual Pining, Pre-Kerberous Mission, Sexual References, Stargazing, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 21:48:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9347915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fcllencngels/pseuds/fcllencngels
Summary: Matt is done with these two pining idiots





	

**Author's Note:**

> AGH WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I POSTED ANYTHING???
> 
> Ch 7 of DIB is in progress, I promise it'll come soon. 
> 
> But um??? Season two starts in four days, I am not ready yet. At all. 
> 
> So I wrote a little Pre-Kerberous Sheith (my fave of course) for y'all just as a reminder of how cute these boys are (and how ripped Keith is apparently)

Even when Matt had invited him out with the senior cadets, Keith hadn’t taken him seriously. After all, it had been the first day at school, and Keith wasn’t a complete idiot.

The days passed, and it seemed as if everything became slowly easier as Keith eased into the schedule of the Garrison. They spent the days flying the simulators, and the nights completing chores and their homework. But every morning, he smiled as he woke up, slipping on his uniform before going to class. What had become silent admiration had turned into a full-blown crush. Stepping into the simulation room, he sat in the back, staring at Senior Cadet Takashi Shirogane, waiting for the time when he could move back into the pilot seat and earn another of Shiro’s heartwarming smiles.

Keith had been content to live life, quietly on the sidelines, occasionally interrupted with Matt’s energetic shenanigans and Shiro’s smiles. With decent simulator and test scores, he watched as others around him left, leaving him still alone, eating mysterious goop at lunch while pouring over textbooks.

At least until the end of the first month rolled around, and Keith had been diligently going at his homework, in a last ditch effort to have a free weekend. His roommate, some cargo pilot or whatever, had offered some kind of snide remark at him before leaving and going to go flirt with some girl engineer, leaving Keith alone in the silence of his room. Flipping through the textbook on his left, Keith mumbled terms to himself, writing them down for future reference. It was a late Friday night, and the dorms were empty, with students sneaking off base or hanging around the campus, practicing or hanging out. But Keith was always a loner, and it wasn’t as if he minded.

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair, running a hand through the messy dark locks on his head. Glancing at the clock, he noticed the time, twirling his pen in between his fingers.

“Seven? Maybe I should go get some dinner.” He murmured to himself, submerged in his thoughts until a sharp rapping on his door woke him from his daze. Walking over to the door, he straightened his shirt before sliding the door open. A familiar mass of light hair greeted him and Keith offered a smile.

“Hey Matt. What’s up?” He asked, walking back in. The older student often liked to pop in, and with Lance away so often, Keith didn’t mind the company, especially when he came with Shiro. The door closed with a hiss behind the pair, and Keith moved to clean his desk, trying to look every part the perfect student. “Shiro come with you?” Keith asked hopefully, looking at the other with hope in his eyes as he plopped down into his desk chair, the wood back digging uncomfortably into his spine.

“Nope, but you’re coming with me.” Matt said, face alit with a mischievous light. “Senior cadets are going out right now, and as usual, I’m going with them. But someone who promised to go,” he said, pointing at Keith. “Has not come yet, so I was sent like a servant to go fetch the famous Keith Kogane.”

“I told you, I’ve got homework Matt.” Keith sighed, pointing at his desk. “We’ve got a big test on Monday, and if I don’t study this weekend, I’m sure to fail.” Raking a hand through the curls atop his head, Keith looked at him, putting every ounce of sarcasm he could into his words. “This is a school you know.”

“And at schools, you party.” Matt replied. His hands were already fidgeting with some type of contraption he had found on a dresser, probably taking it apart for ‘research’. “You’re not an idiot. You’ll pass. Plus, it’s just one night out. What can one night do?”

Keith rolled his eyes, letting out another slow sigh. This wasn’t the first time that Matt had wanted to drag him out, to wherever the older cadets planned to go over the weekend. But with all the risks involved, Keith hadn’t gone a single time. But unlike the rest of them, the Garrison was not going to easily look over his adventures out of campus. He had his career, his life on the line. He couldn’t lose it all just to go hang out with some 20-year-olds, even as much as he wanted to.

“If I go tonight, will you leave me alone?” Keith asked, tilting his head back to stare at the boy standing at the doorframe. “Just tonight, then I can do my homework in peace for the rest of the year without you popping in to drag me on another pointless crusade.”

Scoffing, Matt looked at him, muttering something about the so-called ‘pointless crusades.’ Keith offered a smile as Matt stood, pondering his choices. Nodding slowly, Matt looked at him. “Go tonight, just one night, and I won’t bug you about coming to our hang outs or not. You can come or go.”

“Just one night?”

“Just one night.”

“Then get out of my room so I can put on some clothes.”

 

* * *

 

Apparently, for all the shit the senior cadets gave the juniors, they really weren’t that uptight.

Keith could recite every single time he had gotten scolded for an untucked sheet on his bed, an incorrectly written letter on a report, or the slightest misstep during a simulation. He had had to rattle off the days until their graduation at the mess hall and stay to the outsides of the hallways in an effort not to annoy any of them. But once off campus, it was almost like every single serious bone in their bodies melted away, leaving several crazy, drunk people.

The two hour drive had led them to a bar, somewhere desolate enough that the Garrison wouldn’t bother, but close enough that everyone else knew that they were military kids. The bartender had tipped his head to them as they had filed in, naming off drinks that Keith hadn’t even known existed.

It wasn’t all that bad though. It didn’t matter that they were all underage, Keith especially. He sat on a couch in the dim corner of the bar, a beer bottle in his hand. Matt had given it to him before waltzing away, and Keith could see him now, chattering away with a rather attractive boy under the flashing lights.

The other students had been mostly curious about him, thinking that he was more of an urban legend than an actual student. But once they received confirmation from Matt, they had accepted him warmly, offering him food and drinks, and several other things that he’d rather not consider, ever.

But after all the hype had faded, he had slunk away to the corner, mildly drunk, the feeling overall pleasant. But as the few interested cadets walked away, the only thing keeping him company was the alcohol in his hand and the dim light hanging a few feet from him. Taking a slow sip, Keith swallowed, savoring the burn that slid down his throat. The alcohol reminded him of bitter days, left alone on the streets after escaping yet another foster home. Something he’d rather not remember on a night as jovial as this.

“Having fun?”

Keith looked up, blinking as he met someone’s eyes. The person crouched down, and Keith smiled as he recognized the soft grey eyes staring at him. Reaching out, he grabbed Shiro’s hand, pulling him down on the couch besides him. It seemed as if the only time he got to see Shiro was in class these days. Though Matt tended to pop in as often as he liked, Shiro was always whisked away by some higher ranking officer demanding his attention. There had been rumors of something, something that would change history and science, and Keith had had a nagging feeling that Shiro was being dragged into it all.

“Hey” Keith said, unable to tear his eyes from Shiro’s. It was almost as if it was the first day of school again, and all he could do was stop and stare into those eyes, losing himself in the pools of grey. Even if Keith had gotten to Shiro, the moments had been tense, the air filled with some type of feeling that had left Keith dazed and uncomfortable. Of course, Matt’s added prescence hadn’t helped at all, and Keith had been left to watch countless times as the two walked away with Matt, more often than not, punching Shiro for some unknown reason.

“I don’t really know.” Keith said finally, looking away. “Before I came to the Garrison, I didn’t…I didn’t really have anyone to talk to. I never really had any friends. I just did what my foster parents wanted me to do, and I never had time to goof around, not when I wanted to get into the famous Galaxy Garrison.”

He paused, taking a drink before continuing. “And now that I’m here, everyone thinks that I’m some sort of prodigy, but honestly, all I want to do is study, and do something with my life. I’ve done nothing, I’ve been nothing my entire life. Now, instead of reaching my own expectations, everyone here has their own set of expectations for me, and maybe I’ll find a friend or two, but won’t that just mean that I’d have more expectations to meet?”

Keith sighed, before leaning back and looking at Shiro. The older cadet was staring at him thoughtfully, and Keith’s chest thrummed in expectation. Takashi Shirogane, the Garrison’s golden boy, would surely understand. But unlike Keith, he already passed all expectations. Unlike Keith, he could become a stone faced instructor, but be sweeter than anyone else Keith had met in his life. He knew nothing about this senior cadet, and yet every part of him knew that Shiro was connected to him, somehow, in some way. The other seniors had been nobody’s, people who would take up a fraction of an inch on Keith’s timeline, but it always seemed as if his eyes were drawn to Shiro, and Keith had begun to savor the time they spent together.

“Come on. I wanted to show you something while Matt’s distracted.” Shiro replied, standing up and offering Keith his hand.

Keith stood up, ignoring Shiro’s outstretched hand and wobbled uncertainly on his feet. The world turned itself over, and he slammed his eyes shut, only to feel Shiro’s hand on his shoulder, steadying him as he found his center of gravity. Shiro had ignored his outburst, and it pained him for some unknown reason, but if his rashness ended up with him in a pile of his own vomit, he was sure that he was going to regret it.

“I might be a little drunk.” Keith chuckled, placing his hand on top of Shiro’s. “Matt told me that he’d pay for whatever I drank so-“

“You naturally decided to dry up his pockets.” Shiro said, grinning.  Taking Keith’s hand in his, he pulled him closer to him, walking out of the building slowly. “Everyone does it to him, and he never learns his lesson. One day Mr. Holt is going to beat him for all of the money he draws out.”

Keith chuckled, squeezing Shiro’s hand as the two navigated their way out. Keith had never noticed how _popular_ Shiro was. He was so easygoing, so…so perfect. Keith watched quietly as the other cadet easily ruffled heads in passing, a few shouted curses over the music. He had always felt a wall between himself and everyone else, but Shiro had none, opening his arms to support anyone who dared to venture in. Finally making it to the exit, Keith let out a sigh of relief, the cool desert air wrapping around him.

It had taken him a while to become accustomed to the desert atmosphere, the way the heat seemed to creep into your skin and engulf you from the inside out. But as the months had gone by, it seemed as winter would never come, only the cool nights a reminder that the end of the year was approaching.

Shiro led him towards the area where Matt had parked, the moonlight shining down on the beat up vehicles parked next to each other. But a single, unfamiliar craft stood still at the edge of the pack, its red sides sparkling at Keith.

“Is…is this yours?” Keith asked, stumbling over and running his hands over the smooth sides of the vehicle. The sides were covered with a thin layer of dust, and Keith wiped it away, his mouth agape as he looked back at Shiro in disbelief.  

“Yup. Bought her myself.” Shiro admitted proudly. Sliding into the seat, he looked back at Keith, gesturing for him to come over. “Let’s go for a ride. She never gets enough attention nowadays since I’m always busy with school and whatever work the Garrison wants me to do.”

Keith swore under his breath before climbing on behind Shiro. It only took a moment’s hesitation for him to climb on behind Shiro, reveling in the way that the machine moved under him. As realization struck, he moved uncomfortably, shifting his weight before a hand took his own, wrapping it around Shiro’s waist. Shiro’s hands had been warm, albeit covered by those ever present fingerless gloves. It was almost a miracle that Shiro couldn’t see his face from his angle, and he was thankful as the engine hummed to life, a living rhythm that swam through Keith’s veins as they glided above the desert surface, a small cloud of dust following them.

The scenery passed by: cragged cliffs, dried out rivers, and stoic cacti all scattered along the desert, little treasures hidden in the sand. The fog in his head had begun the clear, replaced by the fresh air around him. If anything, the isolation of the Garrison allowed for nature to truly exist, unlike the dirty crammed in cities that Keith had once been so used to. The fresh start was something he had needed, something he had craved for so long, and he was glad that he had finally gotten it.

Peering in the distance, he swore he saw a building, a thing of solid wood and glass windows. Looking up at Shiro, the other only smiled, shouting over the wind ripping around them.

“Almost there!”

Keith nodded in acknowledgement, watching as the speck grew closer and closer. It _was_ a house, a small two story thing that had somehow withstood the desert winds. Keith sat in awe once more as Shiro pulled to a stop beside it, the hum of the engine beneath them quieting as the two of them slid off, walking towards the small building.

It had been imposing from afar, but closer examination showed the cracks in between the wooden boards, messily covered over with tar paper and some type of plaster. Even so, the porch was open and inviting, and Keith couldn’t stop himself as he walked up the steps, floorboards creaking in disagreement.

“Senior Cadet Shirogane, you’re full of surprises tonight.” Keith managed to say, moving to push the door of the cabin open. “Not only do you have a beautiful craft all to yourself, but you also somehow have a perfectly stable house in the middle of nowhere.”

“Don’t call me that. It makes me sound old.” Shiro said, rolling his eyes. “I’m only two years older than you.” He had followed Keith up and stood behind him, impossibly broad in that aspect. Somehow, even in the dead of night, he managed to cast a shadow over Keith, as if protecting him.

Keith looked over his shoulder, staring at him suspiciously. “And how do you know how old I am Senior Cadet Shirogane?”

Keith bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as Shiro sputtered out incoherent words. Framed by the moonlight behind him, Keith zoned out, absorbed in the blush that had spread throughout his face. Realizing that Shiro was still talking, Keith shook his head slightly, smiling as he heard the end of his sentence.

“-and so when I got back to the dorm room Matt hacked into the servers because I said…well I said that I…some stuff and he looked you up and was reading all of your information and-“

“I’m joking Shiro. I’m joking.”

“Oh.” The soft sound escaped Shiro’s lips, a breathy sigh of relief. Keith stuffed his hands in his pockets anxiously, wondering vaguely if Shiro could hear the pounding of his heart. If he had known that he would end up in an abandoned house with _Takashi Shirogane_ , maybe he wouldn’t have drunken so much. Though his mind seemed clearer, he couldn’t trust himself, not with this strange feeling rising in his chest and spreading through his veins.

“C’mon in. It’s not officially mine, but no one’s taken it back yet so I assume I’m good.” Shiro said, sliding past him into the house. Keith followed, gawking at the interior.

Apparently the house wasn’t abandoned.

Maps lined the walls, their edges crisp and straight, pinned into the wooden boards behind them. Electronic equipment was stacked in the corner, some taken apart, their insides splaying out like dangerous snakes. Someone had managed to move a couch in, and a blanket was tossed on top of it. Keith moved around quietly, taking in the sight: from the cinder-block table, the bookshelf, lined with hardback volumes, to the curtains hanging over the windows.

What exactly was this place?

“Matt and I went exploring once. We found this place and it sort of became our hangout. No one else knows about it…except now you.” Shiro said, as if reading his mind. Keith looked at him expectantly.

“How do you always know?”

“Know what?”

“How do you always manage to know what’s going on in my head?”

Shiro shrugged at that, though Keith swore he could have seen the slightest brush of pink on his cheeks. Keith sighed, before looking around expectantly. Shiro had wanted to show him something after all. If he did then it had to be somewhere inside the house…

“Oh yeah. I was gonna show you this. You’ll love it.” Shiro promised, and Keith spluttered as he followed, muttering something about crazy psychic powers. Turning the corner, Shiro deftly climbed up a flight of stairs, revealing a second floor, scattered with empty food wrappers and clothing. If Keith couldn’t tell any better, he was sure that those were supposed to be bedrooms. Keith watched as Shiro grappled around, before a triumphant look spread over his face. He pulled on a cord, and Keith’s mouth hung open as he watched another set of stairs fall from the ceiling.

“After you.” Shiro grinned, and Keith stuck his tongue out before grabbing onto the folding staircase, quickly shimmying his way up into the most beautiful room he had ever seen.

From the outside, it hadn’t been visible, but the attic of the house allowed for anyone to stare at the window and take in the stars. Keith couldn’t remember a day when he hadn’t gone out into the night, reaching out for the exploding balls of light. They had been his motivation, his reason to keep going. And he wouldn’t stop until he managed to reach a star and touch it of his own accord.

“Cool huh?” Shiro said, climbing up after him and shutting the staircase. “I remember you said that you liked the stars, and I thought of this place. I had to make sure Matt was fine about me showing you. I’m sorry I didn’t let you come here sooner. But since school has been so busy lately, I’ve been working a lot, and Matt told me that you’ve been just as busy. But since you came out with us tonight, I figured now was a good of a time as any to show you this place.”

Keith reached his arm out, slender, calloused fingers brushing over the glass in front of him. The experience was almost magical, as if he could just jump right through the glass and land in front of one of the gleaming beauties in front of him. But most of all, Shiro had remembered. The Galaxy Garrison’s golden boy had remembered something about _him_ , Keith Kogane, a lowly freshman at the most prestigious school in the world.

“When I was younger, I always dreamed of touching the stars.” Keith said softly. “It’s the reason I came here. If I could just see the stars, if I could just comprehend their existence, then they would stay with me, no matter where child services dumped me next.”

“Of course, it was also the stars that helped me decide to apply to the Garrison, and I’m sure that they were the ones that helped me get in.”

Taking a deep breath, Keith looked back at Shiro, who was as calm as ever, though more focused and determined than Keith could compose himself. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Keith watched as a single cloud floated, slowly but steadily past the moon, hiding away a bit of its light for a few minutes.”

Shiro had been uncharacteristically quiet, and Keith finally gathered up the courage to speak up. It had taken him so long to identify this feeling, this longing inside of his chest.

“I don’t know if I believe in a god. Or a God with a capital G. The world has been so twisted and turned and confused. But there’s one thing that I do believe in. I believe that the stars will shine, and that after every time I make a wish, they’ll answer. And right now, they have.”

“And right now, all I have to say is that…I don’t know why, but…I think that-“

“YOU GUYS STILL HAVEN’T GOTTEN IT ON YET? JESUS CHRIST?”

Shiro whipped around at the sound of a familiar voice, and Keith stood, his mouth wide open in surprise as Matt peered up at them, an obvious, exasperated expression on his face.

“Matt? What are you doing here? H-how’d you even get here I thought you said that you’d stay at the bar-“ Keith started, embarrassment coloring his cheeks red. Matt just looked at the two of them, before he grabbed the floor and bashed his head against it.

“I. Swear. To. God. I. Have. Been. Watching. You. Two. Pining. For. Each. Other. For. Months.”

Keith stared at him, apparently unable to keep his mouth closed as he watched Matt hit his head against the floorboards repeatedly. It was almost a feat that he managed to cling to the stairway as he smacked himself. Shiro had gone a tomato red, and he moved to stop Matt, but it seemed as if Matt wasn’t going to have any of it.

“No, don’t tell me to stop Takashi Shirogane. On the very first, _the very first day of school,_ you just march in and start falling for this boy. You don’t even have the _guts_ to socialize with him for months, and I set everything up for you, and you’re tripping over your words and staring at him stare at the sky? What are you, retarded?”

Keith’s mind was in a frenzy, attempting to understand Matt. If it was the very first day of school…

> _“Senior cadets are going out right now, and as usual, I’m going with them. But someone who promised to go,” he said, pointing at Keith. “Has not come yet, so I was sent like a servant to go fetch the famous Keith Kogane.”_
> 
> _“Come on. I wanted to show you something while Matt’s distracted.” Shiro replied, standing up and offering Keith his hand._
> 
> _“-and so when I got back to the dorm room Matt hacked into the servers because I said…well I said that I…some stuff and he looked you up and was reading all of your information and-“_
> 
> _“…I’ve been working a lot, and Matt told me that you’ve been just as busy. But since you came out with us tonight, I figured now was a good of a time as any to show you this place.”_

“Wait, wait, wait.” Keith said, holding his hands up in defense. “Are…are you saying that…Shiro likes me?” He asked with absolute horror. “I…I mean I know that I like him, but why would Shiro like _me_ , I’m literally nothing and-“

“I swear I’m going to kill myself.” Matt muttered, resting his head. “I will probably die before these two oblivious idiots even figure anything out.”

 

* * *

 

“Everything good now?”

“I’m pretty sure you shocked him so badly he’s never going to come out of there.”

“He will if you tell him the view from the roof is 10 times better than in that room.”

Shiro laughed slightly, stretching out on the smooth surface. Matt sighed besides him, pushing up the bridge of his glasses lazily as he looked at the sky. Shiro couldn’t count the number of times they had spent the night like this, simply staring at everything around him. Matt did it to detach himself, to forget the business of life and all the strings attached to their lives. But Shiro did it to remember. He did it to remember the first time he had driven out of the Garrison, shouts escaping his lungs as he had whisked along the desert, the mood only ruined by the sound of Garrison cars behind him. He did it to remember the first time he had gone to space, shocked by the enormity of it all.

He did it to remember the way Keith’s eyes had sparkled as he watched the heavens move around him.

“I can’t believe it took you two this long to figure this out. I mean, sure, you’re busy with work, and he’s busy with school, but still.” Matt sighed, closing his eyes.

Shiro tapped him lightly on the shoulder with his fist, earning a glare from his best friend. “Thanks for being my wingman though bro.”

“Did you seriously just call me bro?”

“Hell yeah.”

“You can’t say shit like that Shiro. You didn’t even know what a meme was until two weeks ago.”

“I was in space two weeks ago!”

“No excuses.”

**Author's Note:**

> [ fxllenxngelss.tumblr.com](http://fxllenxngelss.tumblr.com)'s the name, writing's the game. 
> 
> Still need to figure out a way to raise money. Finally 16, and even more broke. Bless my life.


End file.
